Looking Forward to January 20, 2019

The Scripture Reading this week is Mark 1:14-28


The Sermon title is Why did they do that?

Early Thoughts: To be honest I just don't get it. What leads these men to just get up and follow this stranger? And as a side question what did Zebedee think when his sons just walked away from the family boat?

As Mark is telling the story of Jesus it is logical to think that this is the first interaction that Simon and Andrew and James and John have with Jesus. Given verses 14 and 15 it is possible that they have heard about him through the grapevine,  possibly they were standing in a crowd to hear him speak. But even if they have heard of him, even if they heard him speak once, it seems like a huge leap or faith to drop everything an follow him -- immediately. Maybe they had poor impulse control?

I think a big part of the answer lies in the verses that follow. Twice in the back half of the passage we hear that Jesus teaches with authority, authority unlike the scribes, authority that even unclean spirits obey. That speaks of the Charisma Jesus exudes. And those of us who have heard stories (or who remember directly) the effect that leaders like Pierre Trudeau, and John Kennedy and Barack Obama had on people know the power of Charisma to get people energized and fired up. It is apparent that when people heard and watched Jesus they saw and felt that something extraordinary was happening.

And so some of them made choices that, on the surface, make little to no sense. They dropped everything to follow him.

There is a follow-up question. What would make us do that?

The YouTube video above is the final hymn we will sing on Sunday. It asks Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Well would you?

I believe that Jesus, the Risen Christ, is indeed calling our names. I believe that Jesus is inviting us to a new way of living. I believe that Christian faith is about being willing to be changed, transformed, led in a whole new direction. I also believe that sometimes dropping everything to respond seems unrealistic, or illogical, or unwise, or even dangerous.

What would help us do what Peter, Andrew, James, and John did?
--Gord